There’s an Elephant in My Church

When there is an obvious problem that people avoid discussing, you might say that there is an elephant in the room. Everyone can see the elephant. They should know the elephant doesn’t belong in the room. But to acknowledge that there is, in fact, an elephant in the room would make too many people uncomfortable, so everyone pretends it’s not there.

There’s an elephant in my church. It’s in the Sanctuary where we congregate to worship and hear a sermon. It’s in the fellowship hall where people gather to visit. It is even in the classrooms where small groups meet for book studies.

The elephant was also at the church I attended in Colorado. I remember looking around me in 2016 when it first appeared. I wondered, How did it get in here? Where did it come from? I hoped I wouldn’t see an elephant at my new church, too, but the odds were not in my favor.

What is the elephant in my church? The elephant is Christian support for Donald Trump. Why is that a problem? Because Trump is the antithesis of the Christ Christians claim to follow. You can’t serve two masters. As Jesus saud, you will be devoted to one and despise the other.

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You can not serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:24

We don’t talk about the elephant in my church. Once in a while, someone acknowledges that the country is divided politically, but they don’t say why. No one ever mentions the fact that a significant portion of the congregation is okay with treating immigrants inhumanely and with cutting off aid to the sick and the poor. It doesn’t bother them that the leader they chose is morally bankrupt. His self-aggrandizement, his hatred of immigrants and political opponents (really anyone who is not devoted to him), show that he completely disregards God’s greatest commandment.

Even though we don’t talk about the elephant, I know it’s there. Someone wore a MAGA hat to church during the COVID epidemic. One of the elders wears his MAGA hat outside church. The red hat demonstrates devotion to Trump and his antichrist policies.

Another person devoted to Trump, a Christian nationalist, is a member of my Bible study group.

When I told a church friend that my husband won’t go to church because of the current political environment (my way of addressing the issue without directly mentioning the elephant), she told me, “Oh. I’m in seventh heaven.”

Many people are trying to understand how the elephant got into Evangelical churches. I believe that the elephant made its way into the church through the powerful influence of the media and false prophets. It didn’t appear overnight. These influencers have convinced the masses that God needs a bad person to accomplish his purposes. They also minimize or ignore his transgressions while holding others up to biblical standards.

Jesus warned his followers to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. That is, watch out for the teaching of hypocrites. Just as a small amount of leaven permeates the dough, false teaching corrupts the church.

I don’t know how to get people to acknowledge the elephant in the church. Once in a while, my pastor says something subtle that may or may not get through (like preaching about staying faithful and not bowng down to the king). If I were ever to directly address the problem, I would likely make enemies.

I hope that I will continue to have a positive impact on my church family and to shine a light on the teachings of my Master. But I can’t compete with the influence of the media and the false teachers that have led the people astray.